Friday, 29 June 2012

Homophobic violence openly condoned by certain Armenian members of Parliament

27 June 2012 Written declaration 527

On May 8 an LGBT friendly bar in Yerevan was firebombed. Two of the arsonists have been arrested.

Certain Armenian MPs have openly condoned the arson attack. One is reported to have stated that the attack was completely “right and justified”, and to have claimed that those who support the rights of LGBT Armenians "are perverting our society, are defaming the Armenian national identity." Two others paid the bail of one of the arsonists. One of these MPs is reported to have asserted that the arsonists "acted in accordance with our society's values and national ideology", although adding that "it was wrong to cause material damage".

We call upon the Armenian authorities to publicly repudiate such statements, to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice and to put in place measures to protect LGBT people from violence and discrimination and to counteract homophobic and transphobic attitudes in society, in accordance with the Committee of Ministers Recommendation on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Signed:

GUNNARSSON JonasSwedenSOC

ACKETOFT TinaSwedenALDE

ALONSO José AntonioSpainSOC

ANDERSON DonaldUnited KingdomSOC

AXELSSON LennartSwedenSOC

CONNARTY MichaelUnited KingdomSOC

ČRNAK MEGLIČ AndrejaSloveniaSOC

DAVIES GeraintUnited KingdomSOC

DAVIES DonCanada

DOBBIN JimUnited KingdomSOC

FISCHEROVÁ JanaCzech RepublicEDG

GARDETTO Jean-CharlesMonacoEPP/CD

HÄGG CarinaSwedenSOC

HÄRSTEDT KentSwedenSOC

HAUGLI HåkonNorwaySOC

JÁUREGUI RamónSpainSOC

JENSEN MogensDenmarkSOC

LUNDGREN KerstinSwedenALDE

MEALE AlanUnited KingdomSOC

MOGHERINI REBESANI FedericaItalySOC

MULIĆ MelitaCroatiaSOC

OHLSSON CarinaSwedenSOC

PERNASKA LajlaAlbaniaEPP/CD

RECORDON LucSwitzerlandSOC

SHERIDAN JimUnited KingdomSOC

SYDOW Björn, vonSwedenSOC

VILLUMSEN NikolajDenmarkUEL

VUČKOVIĆ NatašaSerbiaSOC

WURM GiselaAustriaSOC

Total = 28

*EPP/CD: Group of the European People's Party SOC: Socialist Group ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe EDG: European Democrat Group UEL: Group of the Unified European Left NR: Representatives not belonging to a Political Group